Far from Heaven (2002) User Reviews

Heaven can grate

[majikstl · 6/10 · 1 March 2004]

FAR FROM HEAVEN is like a long, elaborate joke that seems to build and build to a punchline that never comes. As it goes along, you patiently wait for it to have a point, your interest ebbs and flows, but it is fanciful enough that you stick it out to the end, only to discover that it was not a joke and was never intended be. And you're left confused, embarrassed and more than little bit irritated.

FAR FROM HEAVEN is a detailed recreation of a very specific type of drama from the 1950's: a high-gloss, emotion-on-the-sleeve "women's picture" wherein everything has the rich Technicolor tone of an ad for refrigerators or hair care products from out of the pages of LIFE, LOOK or the Ladies' Home Journal of that era. Yet, this studied look of perfection is undercut with a melodramatic angst of social disorder and class dysfunction. It was high class soap opera and it's chief practitioner was Douglas Sirk, though he had his imitators.

This sort of pastiche of cinematic artificial perfection died even before the beginning of the sixties and took on a dinosaur like quality with the advent of the French New Wave, social unrest and the long overdue death of the production code. Therefore, when director Todd Haynes serves up this painstaking recreation of this antique genre, one has the right to be suspicious; Hollywood usually only visits it's past for the purpose of parody, think MOVIE MOVIE or YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. The film is so straightfaced in its recreation of the genre -- lush, melodramatic music, heightened emotional line readings, etc. -- that one assumes that Haynes has his tongue firmly in his cheek. But he doesn't; he genuinely wants to explore how this type of 50's film with would have dealt with the issues of interracial romance and homosexuality had the times permitted those themes to be openly explored way back when.

This leads to one simple question: Why? If you take a very real situation and set in down in a very fake setting, it doesn't make the real situation feel even more real; it makes the situation seem fake as well. And therein lies the problem with FAR FROM HEAVEN: instead of being an honest exploration of the themes of bigotry and homophobia, it only seems to trivializes it's own intentions, without even a fig leaf of satire to disguise it's failure.

Julianne Moore is charming in the lead role, but you have to be willing to accept the idea that she is sophisticated enough to understand her husband's closet homosexuality on one hand, yet be so naive that she doesn't realize that running around town and socializing with a black man is a no-no, even in the relatively liberal setting of suburban Connecticut. And her stylized suffering seems as artificial as the picture perfect set design and lush background score.

FAR FROM HEAVEN can be appreciated as a wonderful, if utterly hollow, exercise in style, but as an exploration of social mores of the 1950s -- or of contemporary standards -- it is far from heavenly.

Transmits its message about ignorance very clearly, but it is still surface-pretty and shallow

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 13 December 2002]

Well-acted, but ultimately disappointing examination of morals in the 1950s, with a prominent married society couple torn apart by his need to cheat on her (with men) and her friendship with their black gardener. The scenes between Julianne Moore and Dennis Haysbert (as the handsome groundskeeper) are wonderfully captured, moving and lovely--everything the scenes with Dennis Quaid are not. Quaid is not a bad actor, nor is he miscast here, but I do think his role is somewhat contemptible. The husband is shown not only to be a closet-case, but an obnoxious liar and alcoholic--weak and crippling. His relationships with two other men in the film are barely touched upon. Is there some kind of movie-law against showing what is so attractive about two men in lust? True, when the guys kissed, a teenage girl in the row behind me called out, "That's gross!" (making me wonder why some people even venture out of the house), but I do wish we might have gotten to see different sides to the husband; as it is, he's just a closet jerk, and an anchor on this story. **1/2 from ****

Moore is outstanding

[zetes · 8/10 · 6 January 2003]

I don't know if this film has anything all that useful or original to say. We know, or at the very least we've heard that 1950s folks didn't much care for homosexuals and black people. Todd Haynes is certainly not taking any brave new stands in this film. It's a tribute to Sirk, who would never overtly deal with these exact same subjects. But he did make a good study of racial attitudes in Imitation of Life in 1959, so he was no coward. Fortunately, Far From Heaven does manage to work itself up to something quite worthwhile. The film is subtle in the same way as Sirk's were: throwing florid melodrama in your face while secretly depicting the truth under that cloud. Haynes probably wouldn't have succeeded half as well as he did if he weren't working with Julianne Moore and, to a slightly lesser extent, Dennis Quaid. Moore has been a powerhouse actress for more than a decade now, and this could be her strongest performance yet. I might prefer her in Boogie Nights slightly, but this is close. She's great as a sheltered 1950s housewife coming out of her protective shell. Her husband (Quaid) has been fighting his homosexual lust his whole life, and he's beginning to lose the battle. Rejected, Moore befriends her gardener, an educated black man (Dennis Haysbert). It's not love, at least right away. Moore is just enthused to have found someone outside of her own world who understands her and will talk with her in an honest manner. The color cinematography, set design, and costume design are full of transcendent Sirk-influenced colors. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the film is the musical score, by Elmer Bernstein. It would be a shame to see it go without an Academy Award nomination. 8/10.

Very Close to Heaven

[GodsLionesse · 10/10 · 11 January 2003]

Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven, a homage to the 1950s melodramas of Douglas Sirk, is an exquisitely crafted film of beauty and grace. The world that Haynes creates is so meticulously detailed that one almost forgets that the movie isn't fifty years old.

Julianne Moore deserves an Academy Award for her portrayal of Cathy Whitaker, a homemaker whose idyllic life begins to disintegrate when she learns that her husband is gay. Moore's Cathy is a delicate woman who would like to be courageous, but can't be because of the world that she is trapped in. As her innocence begins to die, she realizes how empty and superficial her life is. When she begins a cautious romance with her black gardener (Dennis Haysbert) she begins to see the racism and hypocrisy that forms the underbelly of a seemingly perfect world. At the end of the film Cathy has no illusions, and realizes that the life that she thought was perfect is actually a never-ending hell.

Dennis Quaid is equally stunning as Cathy's tortured husband Frank. After Cathy discovers his homosexuality, the two are forced to grapple with a truth that neither of them can comprehend. Frank goes to a doctor for "treatment," and his confession is heartbreaking. He says that he "can't let this thing, this sickness, destroy my life. I'm going to beat this thing." We look at Frank and pity him because we realize that such a feat is impossible, and unnecessary, but Frank does not possess that knowledge. Frank begins to drink more, and when he finally breaks down and tells Cathy that he has fallen in love with another man, all of the anger, shame, and joy comes pouring out of him all at once. It is a supremely moving moment, and the best performance of Quaid has ever given.

As the marriage between Cathy and Frank begins to unravel, the two also begin to fight. All of Cathy and Frank's arguments and confessions take place at night, bathed in shadows. The truth has no place in this bright, artificial world, and it must stay hidden at all costs. One night, when Frank tries to make love to Cathy and can't, Cathy tries to placate him, saying that he is "all man" to her. At that remark Frank hits her, and for a moment the audience does not breathe. Cathy then asks quietly for her husband to get her some ice. Cathy is all restraints, and it is only with her kind gardener that she has a chance to break free. The scenes between Moore and Haysbert crackle with erotic energy because everything remains unsaid. When Cathy finally asks him to dance with her, it is a moment when we realize what human beings are capable of being together.

The fourth example of stellar acting comes from Patricia Clarkson as Cathy's best friend Eleanor. Eleanor is a bitter, gossipy, cold-hearted woman, and when she tells Cathy "I am your best friend," you want to scream to Cathy not to believe her. Clarkson makes the most of her rather limited screen time, and turns in a fascinatingly layered performance.

Far From Heaven may very well be the best picture of the year. In creating an artificial world, Todd Haynes has managed to lay bare the human soul in a way that has never been done before. It is a moving and important motion picture, populated with some of the most nuanced acting I have ever seen. Cathy and Frank Whitiker may be far from heaven, but the film comes about as close to heaven as is possible.

Works on several levels (though some better than others)

[bob the moo · 28 February 2003]

Cathy and Frank are a society couple in 1950's Connecticut. Their perfect house, perfect kids and happy marriage all contribute to making them the toast of the middle classes. However Frank's secret desire for men wrecks Cathy's image of their marriage but they manage to keep it a secret and seek help. When Cathy confides in her black gardener the rumours begin that again threaten Cathy's all-American society queen existence.

It helps when writing a review of a film like this that you can throw round all the right references and draw comparison's wit the two Sirk films from which Haynes drew inspiration from. Sadly I can't do that as I haven't seen either of the works (although have seen some Sirk films), so I'll do the best I can! From the outset this film builds a plastic perfect 50's world before revealing that everything isn't as the outside world (and even those on the inside) may perceive. This works well but the film is strong because it works on several other levels past this one.

Past the fake nature of lives – we are all human after all – are several other broader themes that are not as clear but still important. The place of women is society is one – where Frank's indiscretion appears to still let him work etc, Cathy much smaller crime sees her condemned from all around. Her relationship with Raymond shows how women held social status only as trophies in some circles and, when this role was threatened or made redundant, they had little more standing that blacks etc.

The two fallings of Frank and Cathy are parallel and it is interesting to see the two. Frank stigma that he must hide is one of sexuality while Cathy is less lucky in that her stigma is as clear to observers as the skin on Raymond's face. This is not to say that the film works as well on each of these levels, but it does work well enough on all of them. It is slow and patient and it may frustrate some audiences who will claim `nothing really happens' – if a review says this then ignore it – they have clearly missed the point.

The 50's feel is bang on and very well done. I'm not sure if Haynes has lifted the touches that make it feel `50's' from Sirk directly (i.e. copied) but it really works. The colours are lush and every set and costume feel like it must be straight from the 50's. It is to Haynes credit that he has done this without being camp or wistful in the way that many films set in the period can be. He plays it straight down the line.

The cast are roundly good. Moore deversedly got her nomination for this work and she is excellent. She never goes over the top but is visibly simmering throughout. Quaid is good but has a less complex character to carry, we don't get to understand what he is going through or felling – is it deep guilt, lust, love etc? Haysbert in 24 is OK but plays a stiff, morally righteous man who is so `good' as to be difficult to swallow! Here it is not quite as bad but Raymond is still a ` good, wholesome' man. Haysbert does him well but again I wanted more to the character. The support cast are good and all play the plastic socialites and professionals of 1950's well.

Overall this film is very lush – nothing but praise can be given to director, costumes and set designers etc. The cast are all good even if they must act with decorum and patience throughout and the emotion and drama of the story (although stilted and controlled) is still very involving. A very good film – if it had been made in the 50's it would be held as a classic today.

The Good Old Days!

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 16 March 2010]

Having grown up on the wrong side of the tracks in the fifties, I have great appreciation for this film. Mine was a small town where everyone knew everyone else's business. This is a portrait of an incredible woman. It is played with a subtle touch by Julianne Moore. She faces two of the most incredible taboos that existed at that time: homosexuality (which was a mystery to everyone) and a woman's connection to a man of a different race (though entirely innocent). This brings out the hypocrisy and hatred, forced on enlightened people by a supposedly Christian society (actually things aren't that much different in 2010). This story is as simple as it is complex. The characters reveal themselves by their silences as much as their actions. Dennis Quaid's character could be seen as a victim, but he is personally hard to swallow. Yes, he should have the right to live and be happy, but his rants and his duplicity make him rather unappetizing. People talk about the good old days. They weren't so good for a large segment of the population.

Shows how good Sirk was

[phd_travel · 7/10 · 26 August 2017]

A word of advice - watch a few Douglas Sirk movies first especially "All the Heaven Allows" with Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson and "Imitation of Life" with Lana Turner. The former film is for the romance with a gardener and the latter is the racism issue. It will make watching this more interesting and it's delightful to pick up the similarities - music costumes color palate cinematography and plot. In terms of the social issues highlighted it's quite far from Douglas Sirk by dealing with a homosexual husband something that couldn't have been shown in the 50s.

Julianne Moore is lovely as the perfect housewife in Hartford. Dennis Quaid is her tormented gay husband. Dennis Haysbert is the gardener.

This is a good movie and very involving but I prefer the original Sirk movies still.

Underneath the Facade of Complacency

[nycritic · 10/10 · 4 November 2005]

Had it been released in the year it's set in -- 1957 -- FAR FROM HEAVEN would have broken grounds on several different levels because it brings to light what stories then only hinted at. Todd Haynes, channeling Douglas Sirk inch by inch, goes one step further and comes up with a masterpiece of domestic melodrama.

This is the story of three people caught in unfortunate circumstances. The Whitakers, Cathy and Frank (Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid), are the Perfect Couple, married and living under the conservative spotlight of Suburbia, known more as Mr. and Mrs. Magnatech, successful -- the couple who have everything going for them. Of course, with the slight detail that Mr. Whitaker is gay and about to come out.

Coming into the picture at the time the local society writer (Celia Weston) comes to interview Cathy about their idealistic marriage life, Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert) enters the picture. A quiet man who happens to be black in a time when being black meant being segregated, Cathy expresses kindness to him, and the writer jots down 'friend to Negros' which comes to mark Cathy later on.

Frank's double life is the catalyst which will bring Cathy and Raymond together. When Cathy, in her manicured, wifely way, comes to bring Frank his dinner at work, she walks in to seeing him kissing another man (Matt Malloy). Clearly, something is wrong in this picture... and gets progressively so when Frank decides to beat his illness, while still going to sordid bars with equally ashamed men who hang out with the spectre of fear just out of frame, as if one of the many bar raids would befall them at any moment.

Once Frank is out of the picture Cathy turns to Raymond for solace. Friends begin talking, mainly through the correctly named Eleanor Fine (a chilling Patricia Clarkson) who doesn't know how to react to this friendship, while we know she is probably spinning stories behind Cathy's back. It is here when the morals of the time come into play. We are, in fact, reminded that this is the late fifties at every turn. Cathy has been 'seen' with a Negro and this means trouble. Frank, even though he already has a boyfriend, can't stand her friendship. Raymond's daughter gets assaulted by a couple of boys coming home from school. Doors are closing all around Cathy, but there is the hope she may leave with him to Baltimore. Raymond assures her, that is impossible.

The Douglas Sirk influence virtually comes out of the screen at every frame in Todd Haynes film. From the saturated color and excellent cinematography, set decoration, to the almost exact acting from all the leads and supporting actors and its pessimistic/happy ending. Where many movies fail through anachronisms, an almost perfect attention to detail has been taken to make this movie as authentic as possible -- down to the cinematic language and its characters, who are enclosed in its time period. For example, in one scene, Frank swears... but then apologizes, because it is impolite to do so. His gayness even as the film reaches its conclusion remains closeted, within its shame, as he secretly meets with his boyfriend. No happy ending for him here. Neither for Cathy and Raymond, whose acquaintance is vibrant with tension even though they barely exchange a shy kiss and are destined to remain apart. It reminded me a little of IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000), another film enclosed in its time period with the two romantic leads knowing their chances of a relationship is nil due to tradition. Here it's man's bigotry to himself.

Far from Earth

[jespereilertsen · 6/10 · 3 April 2003]

*Spoilers* I liked the theme and the tension but got dissapointed as nothing seemed to turn out right for the main character - never really breaking out of the strict correctness of the fifties (and of the political correctness of 2002). The movie never dares to show the love and affection between the homosexual men, a stiff and stereotype kiss seen from a distance is all, and it never dares to even show us a kiss between a white woman and a black man.

Taboo, predjudice and cencorship is strengthened by this movie.

The way we were

[moviemanMA · 9/10 · 15 July 2007]

A man and his wife enter the office of a man who could possibly save the man from a life threatening illness. THe process includes many visits with a psychiatrist and possibly some electro-shock therapy. No, this person does not have schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder. This man is a homosexual.

Yes, it is true, this man is considered "sick" but that is just one of the many skewed attitudes of the 1950's that director Todd Haynes brings to light in Far From Heaven. Julianne Moore plays Cathy Whitaker, the wife of Frank Whitaker, Dennis Quaid, who are the proud parents of two children. The live the life that people envied. A nice home, money, success, and happiness. All of that comes crashing down when Cathy discovers her husband is not who he really is.

Cathy goes to Frank's work to drop off some dinner only to discover that her husband is in the arms of another man. Frank says that he is "sick" and wants treatment. Cathy, the "super wife" is behind him 100 percent, as if he really had an illness to beat. Frnak is ashamed and doesn't want support, just some privacy while he goes through session after session of therapy to try and make him "normal".

To add to this difficulty, the family gardener passes away and his son Raymond, Dennis Haysbert, takes over. Cathy comes to confide in Raymond and find peace of mind in his attitude and his overall good nature. The neighborhood looks down on their friendship and casts a shadow on the household. Raymond, a black man, is much like Cathy, seeing not color, but people. Even in New Haven, Connecticut, the feeling of white superiority still runs through the veins of its inhabitants.

The movie from start to finish is wonderful. It is a roller-coaster of emotions. Moore, Quaid, and Haysbert give fantastic performances. Even Patricia Clarkson, who plays Cathy one true friend in the neighborhood gives a delightful performance.

It's not just the acting that gives this movie it's lift off of the ground. Haynes direction and the art direction of the film create a pallet of colors and emotions that set the mood for each seen. The film opens in autumn. The leaves are shades of red, yellow, and orange, a true autumnal foliage like you would see on a Vermont postcard. The clothing is a perfect time capsule of the 50's. Haynes also uses a lot of colored lights to directly influence the mood of a scene. The green neon light of the gay bar Frank enters gives a strange feel like an alien world. The blue light that comes in through the windows in his office at night and in their home after a party means something dramatic is taking place.

Elmer Bernstein has racked up 14 nominations for his music, including a win for Throughly Modern Millie. His score for this film is the current that pushes the story along. Like so many great composers, he doesn't create music but a character. Everything is different with the right score to back up a great story.A story and a script that Haynes wrote so beautifully. He captured the lingo that kids used in the 50's and gave us a look at how kind people can be and how despicable some are.

The issues that Haynes tackles in the film are still around today, just not taken so seriously. It is hard to think that only 50 years ago, homosexuals were looked at as sick people and the African-American community was still not welcome. To this day there are still hints of this feeling around the country, but most is left to be talked about in the privacy of our own homes.

Whether or not you are straight or gay, black or white, democrat or republican, we all are people. Haynes shows that even if two people are in harmony, it is the outside influences that can rip them apart. Hatred and tolerance cannot coexist.

Perfection and imperfections close to heavenly moments [more on Far From Heaven]

[ruby_fff · 7/10 · 31 January 2003]

Watching FAR FROM HEAVEN is like flipping through a 50's magazine - so perfect looking in every way. Yet, as writer-director Todd Haynes subtly pointed out in the storyline, imperfections were undeniably present behind the facade of daily lives. We grew up on the adage of perfection is the goal to everything - but then, "Things Change" (so writer-director David Mamet cleverly depicted in his 1988 film of another con game study with perfect pairing, Don Ameche and Joe Mantegna). Haynes' film may be compared to Douglas Sirk's movies, but "Far From Heaven" has an unabashed approach to including cultural assertions. Watching Julianne Moore's portrayal of Cathy as a woman with timid boldness is refreshing, and her interaction with Dennis Haysbert's Raymond is sensitive revelation. The scene at the restaurant of Raymond's choice was poignant. Moore's subtle expressions and gestures, hesitant speech and pauses are simply well-attuned. Haysbert's low key portrayal befittingly complements. Then the visit - is he, will they, embrace? The train station (kinda reminds me of Claude Lelouch's "A Man and A Woman" 1966 with Jean-Louis Trintignant and Anouk Aimee, but different circumstances) - what will she do and what will be his reaction?

The 'painting' of the 50's social scenes, the family of 'perfect' husband and wife together, the household surroundings within and the neighboring gossips without - yes, all recreated to a tee. The structure of the film is engaging: turn the pages and we're back at how it began; "the beginning of an ending" in a way similar to how "City of God" (quite a different story and tempo) was presented, we advance the pages and there we are - to coin a phrase: is this "the beginning of a beautiful friendship"? It's Hollywood movies, no doubt, but made with tender sensitivity and attentive details from the heart.

Dennis Quaid as Cathy's husband Frank and the rest of the cast were fabulous: from Patricia Clarkson as Cathy's affluent friend Eleanor, Viola Davis (who gave a low key yet heart-wrenching role in Denzel Washington's "Antwone Fisher") as Sybil the housekeeper, to Celia Weston and gossiping neighbors, and the brief appearances of child actors.

If you appreciate Julianne Moore, "Far From Heaven" is a must-see (along with Stephen Daldry's "The Hours"). If you like Haynes and Moore's previous collaboration, "Safe" 1995, you will enjoy their efforts again. This may not have the discrimination impact, plot complexity and teary sadness as much as Sirk's "Imitation of Life" 1959, there are close to heavenly moments (as in the trailer) for you to catch and relish.

Mr&Mrs. Magna Corporation

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 21 February 2012]

Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid seem to have it all, the American dream is no dream in their lives. Married, two kids, lovely suburban home in Fairfield County, Connecticut where only the most rich and respectable and their help live. Being a gardener is the only way that their gardener Dennis Haysbert get to live there. Back then it was what was called in polite terms restricted. In the south they called it segregated. It's a den of WASPS.

At least Julianne thinks she has it all until she catches Dennis at home in the embrace of a man. That's pretty devastating now, back then it was cause for exile from the human race. This was the Fifties when gays were being purged from government during those Truman-Eisenhower years with no redress whatsoever.

Moore catches this indiscretion after them making a local magazine cover as Mr.&Mrs. Magna Corporation, Quaid as the hard driving business executive and Moore as a June Cleaver housewife. Quaid is going to seek help for this terrible weakness that makes him feel ashamed and rotten after each act. And psychiatrist James Rebhorn assures him that great strides have been made in treating homosexuals.

Quaid can stay in the closet as 98% of gays did at the time, but this little revelation sends Moore looking for the understanding company of Dennis Haysbert who is a widower raising a small daughter. When they're seen innocently together that's what gets the mouths of Fairfield county moving.

How it all gets resolved is the story of Quaid, Moore, and Haysbert, but along the way you get some really riveting performances from these three stars and the rest of the cast. Besides those mentioned look out for Patricia Clarkson as Moore's best friend who is a real serpent.

I do love how the script captures the flavor of Fairfield County back in the days of my youth. Note how Moore's friends refer to her amateur theatrical background about how she was known as 'red' for hanging out with all those Jewish boys who were restricted out. And someone makes a lame joke about Senator Joe McCarthy driving by in a car and hearing some naughty subversive talk. What was ironical about that is that McCarthy who was Catholic could never have bought a home in that WASP den anti-Communist US Senator notwithstanding.

Julianne Moore won one of four Oscar nominations that Far From Heaven got from the Academy, in this case for Best Actress. I'm not sure why Quaid wasn't recognized also, he was that good. Don't miss this one when it comes to television.

A view beneath the cracks in the suburban facade

[brchthethird · 7/10 · 2 March 2015]

Suburbia is a subject that has been tackled in numerous novels and films over the decades, and most of them have the same general message that the inhabitants of suburbia, despite the happiness on the surface, are actually troubled people. FAR FROM HEAVEN is really no different in that regard. It is a period piece set in 1950's New Hampshire, and revolves around a (supposedly) happy married couple played by Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid. To avoid any plot specifics I'll just say that the film deals with issues of racism and homosexuality through the lens and attitudes of 1950's America. It is also directed by Todd Haynes, well known for his other films with deal with gay culture and issues. Even though this is the first film I've seen by him, I would imagine that this film is very toned down from he did previously, given the PG-13 rating. One thing the film does really well is take a well-worn topic, but treat it with such dead-face sincerity that it almost comes off as a parody. Yet, this film really isn't that funny. In fact, it provoked little emotional response out of me in general other than the occasional bemused chuckle. While some might count this as a negative, I don't necessarily see it that way because I feel like this film's goal is to emulate a style of film and filmmaking rather than to comment on it in a postmodern way. The style of film I believe this film takes its cues from is the 1950's melodrama, e.g., PEYTON PLACE. Todd Haynes really showed an affection for this era in the overall design and look of the film, which has this idyllic quality to it. The production design, sets, costumes, etc. were all stylized in such a way that it made me feel like I was watching a film from the 1950's. Even the acting and line delivery was ever so slightly stilted to give off such a vibe. However, the one element that brought everything together was the beautiful score by Elmer Bernstein which lent an air of longing and yearning that complemented the film's thematic concerns quite nicely. Overall, FAR FROM HEAVEN doesn't have a unique story and the fact that it doesn't have much below the surface while at the same time portraying a milieu famous for being shallow is kind of ironic. Still, it is lovingly crafted and features some fine performances from its cast.

Far From Earth

[qcompsen · 3/10 · 29 November 2002]

Far From Heaven has been explained as a "woman's film," and a "surefire tear jerker," but in fact it's intended for the kind of woman who would cry at the sight of a washing machine that wobbles a bit during its spin cycle.

Todd Haynes has lovingly perfected the surface of this film with the skill of a master mortician. However, beneath its perfect surface, it's equally dead. All of Haynes' energy has gone towards recreating the details and trappings of a past era of (let's face it) relatively minor film making, and there's no energy left to imbue the characters with power, believability or any trace of interior life. Therefore, Kathleen can utter ridiculous lines some "ice please" after she's just been belted by her husband and, without losing her pasted-on smile for a second, can make chirpy little jokes about her husband's disgustingly ugly drunken behavior at the party that she has spent most of the film (and perhaps most of her life) planning. As game as Moore's acting is, her character is like a windup doll.

Quaid's part is even worse. Although I like him as an actor, he has no clue how to portray the inner conflict of a gay man trapped in a suburban marriage, trapped in the 1950's. For someone who feels "despicable," he somehow has no difficulty ogling a cute blond kid in full public view -- in front of both his own wife and the kid's parents. And though he's already been caught by both the police and his wife in flagrante delicto, he has no problem getting it on with the blond boy in his hotel room while his wife reads Cosmo by the poolside (we don't see this happen, but it's clearly implied). This is simply ridiculous.

Dennis Haysbert's character is forced (by the script) into similarly disingenuous behavior. We're expected to believe that he's a Miro scholar/botanist/MBA and man about about town, yet he somehow thinks he could bring a whiter-than-white upper class woman into a "negro" blues bar and the patrons would be "really friendly"? And he's surprised when his fellow Blacks shower him with the same one-dimensional hatred that all of Kathleen's friends shower upon her?

Haynes seems to view the 50's as if they occurred 1000 years ago; the characters seem not so much as from a different time as from a different species. The result: a potential story of tremendous personal conflict and suffering ends up a curiously uninvolving pastiche, although one in Amazing Living Technicolor. This is perhaps the only film ever made in which the leaves are more alive than the characters.

a great film in both form and content

[Buddy-51 · 10 January 2003]

`Far From Heaven' is a total artistic triumph for writer/director Todd Haynes, who has, among other things, provided the most brilliant examination of the codes and values of the 1950's that I have ever seen in a film. His work here turns out to be a uniquely exciting and satisfying blend of form and content. The '50's were, of course, a time when `normality' was the condition most honored and prized in American society. To be just like everyone else was not merely the greatest goal to which one could aspire, but it came to define the very value one had as a human being. And woe to anyone who didn't quite fit into those proscribed limits of `acceptability' - for if one didn't, one had to at least keep up the appearance of respectability and conformity for the benefit of society, even if what went on behind closed doors was something quite different from what people on the outside imagined.

The Whitakers are the model of a perfect '50's family. Frank is a handsome, highly successful businessman with a beautiful, well-respected wife, who divides her time between raising their two children, maintaining their lovely suburban home, and spearheading the requisite number of charities for a woman in her position. In fact, she is such an archetype of the ideal housewife that a local society paper has chosen to feature her as one of their profiles. Cathy's perfect life, however, is quickly shattered when she makes the shocking discovery that the husband she loves so dearly is a closeted homosexual, who obviously married her as a means of hiding the truth from both the world and himself. In true '50's fashion, Frank, when Cathy catches him in the act with another man, decides to seek `treatment' from a therapist, in the vain hope that he will be `cured' of his `problem.' These scenes are a jolting and stark reminder of just how far we've come from the days when this unenlightened viewpoint held sway in society. The film also deals with the issue of racism, when Cathy becomes a confidante and friend of a young black man who works as her gardener. When this relationship is noticed by the townspeople, the ugly realities of bigotry and prejudice come to the fore, proving that, even in a place like Connecticut, where no actual laws segregated blacks from whites, the attitudes of the common citizenry were no more enlightened than those that permeated the Deep South.

In a stroke of genius, Haynes has patterned his film after actual 1950's melodramas, particularly those by director Douglas Sirk, whose movies like `Imitation of Life' and `Magnificent Obsession' provided daring (for the times) studies of social issues like racism and May/December romances within the context of what were, essentially, glossy, visually palatable soap operas. Sirk's films are often honored for their ability to inject subtly subversive sentiments into popular, mainstream entertainments. `Far From Heaven' looks exactly like those films, from the color-splashed autumnal setting to the picture-perfect interiors of an upper-middle class home in suburban New England where familial and personal problems appear as out of place as `Leave it to Beaver' would seem if it were on network TV today. The astounding achievement here is that Haynes is both paying homage to and utterly destroying the period at the same time. He succeeds in immersing the audience for nearly two hours in this amazingly recreated world. We come to feel as trapped in the stifling setting as the characters themselves do. Haynes captures with emotional force the sense of helplessness these characters feel at not being able to `measure up' to the demands of their world and the utter sadness and loneliness caused by the fact that they don't even have anyone they can truly open up to and discuss their problems with, for they become instant candidates for rumor-mongering and societal rejection the moment they do. `Keeping up appearances' becomes the sole consideration in such circumstances, leading many people to lead lives of quiet desperation, hidden behind blandly conformist, upbeat exteriors. In our day and age, when people have gone to the other extreme - pouring out their every twisted idiosyncrasy on daytime TV talk shows for the benefit of a sensation-craving audience - it's important to be reminded of how much worse the alternative can be. If nothing else, `Far From Heaven' is a study of the kind of emotional and psychological damage that can be inflicted on an individual when a society encourages repression and conformity at all costs.

As Cathy, Julianne Moore gives a performance that can be called nothing less than overwhelming. She is utterly heartbreaking as a good-natured woman, totally baffled by the curves life is throwing at her, trying to maintain a façade of normalcy and happiness even though inside her psyche has been inexplicably and irrevocably torn to pieces. She wants desperately to figure out where her husband is coming from, but the distance he keeps putting between himself and her precludes any such understanding. Yet Cathy is also a paradoxical figure in that, even though she is struggling to keep her life and marriage appearing `normal' to the outside world, she is subtly undercutting that goal by challenging the status quo in her relationship with Raymond, the gardener. Her genuine revulsion at the racist attitudes she sees around her compels her to act in a way true to her own convictions. Moore does a perfect job conveying every facet of this richly detailed and complex character. It is certainly award-worthy work from one of our very finest actresses. As Frank, Dennis Quaid, in a controlled, restrained and heart-wrenching performance, captures the sadness of a man who wants desperately to live the life he's chosen but who just can no longer fight against the truth of his own nature. In a way, Cathy and Frank's situations are mirror images of one another. Both discover a `love' on the outside of societal norms, yet, because of the personal pain that that love is inflicting on the other partner in the marriage (his for another man and hers for another man, as well), the two hurting people seem unable to perceive that connection they share. These two fine performers turn what might have been just a cold exercise in style into a deeply moving and profoundly meaningful work

Technically, the film is a masterpiece on every level, from its art direction to its costume design to its cinematography. The veteran composer Elmer Bernstein has provided a richly evocative symphonic score, modeled on actual '50's style soundtracks, that brings out the melodramatic richness of the film's many set pieces. Yet, his work here also has a quieter quality, particularly in the subtle piano riff, which reminds us quite a bit of his classic score for `To Kill a Mockingbird.' As a director, Haynes shows himself in total control of his medium, blending all these elements into a complete and satisfying whole.

`Far From Heaven' is really unlike any movie you have ever seen, a fascinating admixture of the old and the modern. It also happens to be one of the very best films of 2002, a true work of art.

Beautifully well made film is unforgettable thanks to rich performances.

[hu675 · 9/10 · 16 October 2005]

Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) has it all, a handsome husband (Dennis Quaid), Two wonderful children (Ryan Ward & Lindsay Andretta), a loyal housekeeper (Viola Davis) and her close best friend (Patricia Clarkson). Everything for Cathy goes well until her husband starts questions his own sexually. Things are slowly changing for Cathy, when she meets her new gardener (Dennis Haysbert). Which her Gardener is a nice, caring African American man. Cathy's wonderful life is only an illusion and she forced to live a lie or following her heart.

Written and Directed by Todd Haynes (Poison, Safe, Velvet Goldmine) made an genuinely well done melodrama with plenty of style and substance. Moore gives an beautiful, touching performance. Quaid in his best performance yet, which he's outstanding. Haysbert is terrific as Cathy's Gardener. Excellent production designs, lush cinematography and an beautiful music score are the highlight of this film.

DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an fine DTS 5.1 Surround Sound (Also in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound). DVD has an featurette, a half-hour "Anatomy of a Scene", an featurette with Julianne Moore & the Director and more. This film was nominated for four Oscars including Best Actress, Best Original Score by the late Elmer Bernstein (Bringing Out the Dead, The Maginificent Seven, To Kill a Mockingbird), Best Cinematography by Edward Lachman (Less Than Zero, Selena, The Virgin Suicides) and Best Original Screenplay. This film is a must-see. This film is a loving tribute to the 1950's melodrama films. Executive Produced by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven-2001, Out of Sight, Solaris-2002) and George Clooney (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night and Good Luck, Insomnia-2002). (**** ½/*****).

As Close to Heaven as Movies Can Get

[evanston_dad · 10/10 · 5 August 2010]

Writer/director Todd Haynes makes a 1950s Douglas Sirk melodrama filtered through the cultural perceptions of the 21st Century.

But what Haynes put on screen was far more than a film student exercise, or a simple pastiche of a recognizable genre. Though the early scenes of the film take a jokey approach to setting up the 1950s suburban milieu, Haynes has far more on his mind than simply poking fun at the time period. "Far from Heaven" absolutely aches with feeling, full of characters who yearn for things they just can't -- or at least think they can't -- have. Julianne Moore's performance as a housewife who sees her world shatter when she finds her husband (Dennis Quaid) in the arms of another man brings to mind Jane Wyman's in "All That Heaven Allows," one of this film's primary inspirations, but it's no mere retread. Moore develops a deeply warm, deeply caring character who discovers pools of rebellion in her that she didn't know were there. Quaid, while perhaps having an easier character to play, gives a fierce performance as a man whose struggles with his inner demons are so intense that they manifest themselves almost physically in his face and demeanor.

A lot of criticism has been leveled at the film for its treatment of the character of Raymond (Dennis Haysbert), the black gardener with whom Moore strikes up first a friendship and then a forbidden romance. Detractors say that Haynes stacked the deck too far in Raymond's direction, making him too educated, too articulate, too everything, just to make a point. I can see where that criticism is coming from, but I'd have more of an issue with it if the movie as a whole was less stylized. In context, it works.

On top of the terrific performances and Haynes's meticulous direction, the film is visually stunning, with cinematography and color-coordinated costumes that are used alternately to highlight the harmony and dissonance of a world that looks perfect but isn't. And there simply is not enough praise in the world for Elmer Bernstein's lush score, one of the best ever composed for a film.

Grade: A+

Picking Up The Pieces Of A Broken Dream

[strong-122-478885 · 6/10 · 12 March 2018]

From a purely visual perspective - Far From Heaven is a truly mesmerizing "retro-film" experience. With excellent camerawork, lighting, and meticulous attention to detail, this super-lush movie production is a dazzling re-creation of a 1950's soap opera "dreamworld" set in the upper middle-class suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut.

Far From Heaven is a finely-tuned weeper about forbidden desires, denial and racial boundaries. Its story peels back the layers from the "Stepford Wife" Syndrome of the 1950's that has lodged itself firmly into our collective consciousness. Far From Heaven dares to suggest that "soap opera" might actually be regarded as something socially relevant.

When seriously considering this film's storyline - Far Form Heaven really is 'far-from-heaven', alright - That's for sure - In fact, from the main character's point of view, it's all pretty well close to hell.

Revisiting FAR FROM HEAVEN: Reprise

[gradyharp · 10/10 · 15 October 2010]

There are times when watching a film from the past serves as a reminder of just how fine that film is despite the presence of similar films made after the theater run of the film in question. Such is most assuredly the case with FAR FROM HEAVEN, a very important film that addresses racial and sexual prejudices from as recently as 1958, a time when many of us were oblivious to what was happening in the tough world outside our insulated arena. Todd Haynes both wrote and directed this study of the cruelty of prejudice in a manner that is disconcertingly sterile on the surface - a surface that the period of the 1950s cloaked everything with that should have been matters of intense public discussion and correction.

Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore in a radiant, profoundly sensitive performance) is the picture perfect, carefully groomed, crinolined wife of successful Frank Whitaker (Dennis Quaid), mother of two just right children, and plastic hostess for parties that include her proper friends - such as Eleanor Fine (Patricia Clarkson). Frank drinks too much, makes a few public scenes and it is apparent he is dealing with his private very secret demons: Frank is trying to live a perfect married life but his true physical desires are for men. Cathy copes, confides in her 'colored' gardener Raymond (Dennis Haysbert) and her 'colored' maid Sybil (Viola Davis). Cathy's friendship with Raymond, utterly innocent though it is, is the cause of immediate racial hysteria in the community of Hartford, Connecticut. Frank is having an affair with a man, Cathy discovers this and tries her best to understand, but when Frank comes home intoxicated and threatens Cathy about HER 'affair' with Raymond, the perfect bubble of this plastic marriage bursts. Cathy turns to Raymond for solace but both understand they are living in a time when they cannot be friends because of the racial difference: the core of their relationship is as pure a respectful and honest love as any Cathy has ever experienced. Frank finally confesses his homosexuality to Cathy, they decide to divorce, and Frank goes off to his lover, while Cathy finds some measure of solace in Raymond's honest friendship.

The period of the 1950s is crisply captured not only in the settings and clothes and cars, but also in the phrases of language used during that time: the script is on target. So much has happened since the time of the story of this film - Martin Luther King, Jr's 'We shall overcome' and the changes that started at Stonewall, both only ten years later - and yet we still suffer from the effects of unfounded, cruel prejudice on many levels. Films like FAR FROM HEAVEN should be seen frequently to 1) see how far we have come and 2) see how much further we have to go.

Grady Harp

1950s Perspective In Every Way

[gtrz · 7/10 · 20 December 2010]

I watched this movie knowing nothing about it except that Julianne Moore was nominated for Best Actress in 2003. So without giving yet another synopsis of what the movie is about as so many of these reviews do, I will review my "non-filmologist" experience of watching this movie.

First of all, I have never heard of Douglas Sirk. Nor have I seen any of his films. What first struck me about this film was the muted acting and the stiff characters. I kept wondering why the lead actress' reactions to what was going on around her were so underwhelming. Surely a husband and wife would have more of an emotional reaction to what had just been discovered. I was confused by the "non-realism" of the dialog and the character's emotions.

But then about 2/3 of the way through the movie, it hit me. This movie isn't just set in the '50s and about society in the 1950s, but the ACTING, editing and everything else is also 1950s...with a couple of taboo subjects thrown in. It is just as if you are watching a film that was directly from that decade.

Suddenly, I went from thinking this movie is absurd...to thinking this movie is brilliant. And the key to that understanding was that the actors in this movie are acting as actors would have 50+ years ago. Of course, humans are humans and the reality of emotions and reactions and how we interact with each other has never changed no matter the decade or century. But this was the state of the art half a century ago and Far From Heaven does a masterful job of recreating that art.

You must convince yourself that you are watching a movie from more than five decades ago to truly appreciate what is being done on the screen. If you are thinking, "How would I react", or "How would she really react to that", then the point is being missed. This is retro art. And it is done very well.

Haynes' film is less admired for his narrative treatment of themes such as racism and homosexuality than his remarkable attention to detail to the film set and cinematography.

[Eternality · 9/10 · 7 February 2011]

Far From Heaven is an effort from acclaimed director Todd Haynes (Safe, 1995; Velvet Goldmine, 1998) that ranks as one of his best works, perhaps his most accessible to date. He doesn't make many features, but every feature he has directed has been lovingly created with a visual style so strong that his films sometimes are worth watching again just for its mise-en-scene. In Far From Heaven, Haynes recreates the 1950s melodrama, of which films by Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows, 1955; Written on the Wind, 1956) serve as his greatest influence.

Far From Heaven stars Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid as wife and husband respectively. They live in a huge house with a well-maintained front lawn in Connecticut, and have a daughter and son. Cathy, the wife, is conservative, well-mannered, and understanding. She supports the black cause amid increasing racial tensions, and is a role model in her town because of her effortless ease in balancing family life and presenting an amicable and cordial public face. It is a very effective performance by Moore, who manages to win our empathy for her character with her mastery of emotional expression.

Quaid's character, Frank, is the source of conflict in this tearjerker of a story. A successful company executive, Frank however has a soft spot for handsome men, a weakness laid to its bare essentials in the first major turning point of the film – a scene showing him and another man kissing in full view of Cathy. Quaid's performance is more intense than Moore's, but is only effective in a handful of scenes, most of which are responsible for changing the direction of the narrative. There is also a subplot involving a blooming friendship between Cathy and a friendly male Negro neighbor that adds complexity to the tale.

Haynes' film is less admired for his narrative treatment of themes such as racism and homosexuality than his remarkable attention to detail to the film set and cinematography. The composition of each shot is deliberate, and Haynes makes no effort in concealing the fact that he is directing from a set, which I feel gives a unique experience for the viewer because it feels like watching a dramatic play on the big screen. Dialogue exchanges between characters are also short and to-the-point, with emphasis on non-verbal cues that dictate the characters' (hidden) emotional state.

Finally, in the tradition of melodramas, music plays a significant role in Haynes' film. Composer Elmer Bernstein infuses in his melancholic score (played mainly by strings and piano) a heavy sense of yearning and nostalgia not dissimilar to his score for To Kill a Mockingbird forty years ago. Despite its slow pacing, Far From Heaven is a straightforward film that mainstream audiences can enjoy. For more critical viewers, there is plenty to appreciate and admire in this work of art. Recommended!

GRADE: A- (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved.

Let's Bash The Past

[boblipton · 7/10 · 29 February 2024]

In 1950s Connecticut, as husband Dennis Quaid comes out as gay to Julianne Moore, her friendship with her Black gardener, Dennis Haysbert, gets them in trouble with both the White and Black communities.

Fine acting, camerawork that replicates 1950s Technicolor, and a plot that is a gloss on All That Heaven Allows, neatly encapsulates this Sirk-style melodrama that director Todd Haynes and Miss Moore aimed for. Where it fails is its satire of contemporary culture. The accepted truth these days is that Amerika in the 1950s was a facade of prettiness over an ugly era, when people had jobs and hopes, making it a terrible place, when everyone was repressed. Sirk was the director whose gimlet gaze exposed the era's discontent. His techniques are worth remembering and reusing. Yet Haynes' insistence on aping everything wrong about the era makes me wonder if there was no subject in 2002 that Haynes could have been subjected to the same techniques?

I suppose not. 2002 was such a wonderful time.

You had problems?

[mark.waltz · 10/10 · 6 August 2022]

Without a doubt, one of the very best films of the millennium, a touching social drama that takes elements of those great 1950's Ross Hunter women's weepers and adds on a few issues that society didn't talk about during those days, hiding many of these issues in their deep closets. This is Julianne Moore at her loveliest, and you want to just embrace her. She's the most noble of all of the Connecticut housewives in her very upper middle class neighborhood, and some would argue that Moore and husband Dennis Quaid are actually lower upper class. They have two terrific children, a beautiful home with a gorgeous back yard, and the trees have begun to change their colors that make the viewer cry, "Aaah!"

The issue that they face is exposed first to the viewer. Quaid is secretly going to hangouts for closeted gay men in Hartford, and when he's busted, he claims it's a mistake. But Moore takes him dinner one night and finds him kissing another man. She's the understanding type, certain that they can fix the problem with medical treatment. This is a decade before Stonewall so even the most liberal of society wasn't as knowledgeable and accepting. Moore's confidante, Patricia Clarkson, expresses her feelings which are quite conservative, stereotypical and definitely of the time.

There's also Moore's loyal maid, Viola Davis, quiet and dignified, seemingly content to be in her position, and Moore treats her with great kindness. She also befriends Dennis Haysbert, the son of her late gardener who runs his own hardware store and starts to work for her part time. The gossip of Hartford society begins to make ears wag, and the prejudices of this so-called polite society are slowly revealed.

The strength of Moore's character is the glue that holds this movie together, with a terrific ensemble of actors from every walk of the business. As she realizes the phoniness of her life, she has to face her issues with dignity and independence, something a woman really didn't have in the 1950's. Every issue in this film is presented in such a sensitive way that the audience is intrigued rather than feel that they are being lectured. The script and direction by Todd Haynes and music by the legendary Elmer Bernstein truly creates a sensational film. This movie is shear perfection.

Failed to Meet Expectations

[RBGatHome · 6/10 · 14 December 2002]

Many critics whose opinions I respect raved about this film, so I had high expectations when I went to see it. Alas, I was disappointed.

A common theme among the critics is that this film succeeds by transporting us back to 1957, letting us experience the societal prejudices and foibles of that era firsthand. The central figure, Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) finds her picture-perfect life as a society-pages housewife gradually unravel as her husband struggles with his homosexual feelings and she innocently steps over the color line in her interactions with her black gardener, Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert). The film shows us this story by showing subjects on the screen that would be taboo in 1957 while simultaneously projecting a mood based on those same 1957 mores.

For me the central problem with the film is that Cathy is simply not a very likable or sympathetic character. She is good-hearted, but only superficially. In truth, she is a self-centered and insensitive society butterfly, coddled in wealth and oblivious to the effect of her actions on others. It is striking how little affection Cathy shows for her own children (she is constantly sending them out of the room, shutting them off, or ignoring their desire for some involvement in their lives). Her blindness to the consequences of her "friendship" with her gardener is almost incredible; at no point does she seem to realize that she has some responsibility for destroying his life and that of his daughter. A cold fish, she leaves her husband to deal with his own internal turmoil alone, seldom showing compassion or any genuine concern.

Initially, I felt that the fact that I could not like Cathy Whitaker was part of the brilliance of the movie. The characters are the creatures of their environment, and what that environment created was not very likable. Yet I cannot help feel that this was inadvertent -- indeed, I am struck by the fact few of today's critics picked up on what a miserable mother, wife, and friend Cathy really was. Is our own sense of political correctness preventing us from seeing this?

As the film progressed, it became irrelevant to me whether Cathy's character flaws were intentional. They simply made her too unlikable to draw out my sympathy. The only genuinely likable character in the film was Raymond; the damage done to his life by his brief brush with Cathy is tragic. Cathy's continued pursuit of him in the face of the damage she caused -- and the clear self-centeredness of that pursuit -- is dismaying. I want to feel at least neutral about Cathy; instead, I find myself loathing her.

The story takes place in Hartford, CT over a period of several months, during the late fall and winter. Yet the outside scenes appear to all come from the same October week. About the only change one sees is a few more leaves off the trees. Christmas comes and goes without snow or even brown grass, and the leaves maintain their color and crispness on the ground months after having fallen off the tree.

Julianne Moore's acting is very good, but Dennis Quaid is little more than a stereotype as her husband, Frank. This is probably more the script's fault than it is Quaid's, but I found myself wanting to know more about this character. The one performance I really loved was that of Dennis Haysbert. He captured perfectly the soul of the kind, experienced, and wise gardener for whom one misstep nearly destroys everything he has worked his whole life to accomplish. He projects the anguish of Raymond's situation and is the one character who shows any real understanding of what is going on. Haysbert is able to show tenderness and determination in a very convincing way. I hope we see more of him in prominent roles.

In the end, I have to rate this film a 6 out of 10. It was OK to see once, but I would not want to sit through it again.

Far From Deep

[jdeck02 · 2/10 · 26 June 2003]

If Todd Haynes intention was to lull us to sleep with the shallowness, closemindeness and already well documented mores of the fifties he succeeded. I for one can take only so much beautiful scenery before I start to get irritated from the LACK of a REAL story and "unstaged" acting. From all the hype of this film and hearing that Todd Haynes was a genius I really was expecting a lot more than a animated Norman Rockwell Painting. Really, Todd, you have a great future as a designer or landscape architect, but PLEASE no more movies like this. Nolie from South Africa said it much better in His/Her review a few days back "exquisite to look at but more than a little flat" and "stolid affected version of Pleasantville for the faux Hollywood cineast crowd, people in love with themselves as much as the film makers are in love with their product" I grew up in the fifties and their was more REAL drama going on in my neighborhood and in the lives of my family and my neighbors in a single afternoon than in the entirety of this "FILM".